Google has begun rolling out a new social-networking photo service,
dubbed Photovine. Though Google has said little publicly about
Photovine, the service appears to be one in which consumers can take
snaps from their phones and have them upload in a stream of pictures in
the same way that tweets flow into Twitter. Presumably, if you subscribe
to someone else's Photovine, you'll see their latest photos almost as
soon as they shoot them.

Photovine

The service, though, isn't yet live. There's only the opportunity to request an invitation on Photovine's Web site, with no indication of when the service will launch. In addition to requesting an invitation, potential customers can also watch a video of how Google envisions the service working.

Google has offered few details about the service and said little in response to a query.

"Photovine is a photo-sharing service built by a few folks at Slide," the company said in a statement, referring to the social-media company it acquired in August. "It's a fun way to learn more about your friends, meet new people and share your world with others."

Photovine comes just as Google is ramping up its Google+ social-networking service. But it's unclear if the two services will be aligned. The video Google posted features folks taking photos with iPhones, which clearly suggests that Photovine will be an iPhone app. But there is no Photovine app currently available in iTunes. And presumably, Google will make it available for customers using phones that run its Android mobile operating system.